Man brutally kidnaps own daughter after her grandfather leaves her a fortune

A 23-year-old Egyptian woman named Noura Aly Essam was kidnapped by her own father after she inherited a fortune in her grandfather's will.

She had been living with her grandparents at their house in the Maadi region of Egypt since she was five months old, while her father used to live in Japan. He had refused to look after her to go and work in Japan, according to local media reports.

She was allegedly kidnapped by her father on June 4 following weeks of dispute over her inheritance. He reached her house, beat her and dragged her out of the house and took her to the house he was staying in and locked her in a room there.

The incident came to light after writer and activist, Sabah Khodir, took to Instagram to post about the ill-treatment meted out to the victim by her father after he found out about the will.

The authorities claim that he "took his daughter with him out of hatred for her and assaulted her." He had even confiscated her mobile phone.

Khodir's post ignited a massive social media campaign in the country and the authorities were forced to take immediate action to find Noura, according to a report in The Mirror.

The police managed to locate Noura where her father was staying. As per Egypt's Public Prosecutor's Office, she was returned to her family safely on June 14. Her father has also been arrested; however, he denies that he kidnapped her.

Noura's grandfather, who passed away prior to the kidnapping, had legal custody of her until his death, said her step-grandmother. Noura's grandfather has left her a third of his estate.

"She had also refused her father's request to continue her studies abroad, granting the grandfather legal custody (of Noura), and cut ties with her father up until the passing of her grandfather," according to the prosecution's report.

The Korean Embassy in Egypt had also campaigned for Noura since she is half-Korean. "The Embassy is thankful and assured for the timely address on Ms. Nora's case by the Egyptian relevant authorities according to the request of the Embassy," read a tweet by the embassy post her return.